Here is the June 2010 issue of More Light Update with a special focus on the upcoming 219th General Assembly. You may read the digital paper version below or download and print a PDF version from the More Light Update's archive area.
For the best view, click "Fullscreen" below. When you want to return to MLP's webpage, simply click the red letters, "Exit Fullscreen".
The deadline for purchasing tickets for MLP Events at the 219th General Assembly is June 14.
Saturday, July 3 is the National MLP Celebration Dinner at 5 PM with the reception preceding the dinner at 4 PM, Hilton Minneapolis Hotel, Convention Center. The 4:00 PM reception is free and open to all.
Tuesday, July 6 is the National MLP Educational Luncheon at 12 PM. The program is "Marriage Equality: Church & State" at the Minneapolis Hotel, Convention Center.
The July 3 MLP Dinner and July 6 MLP Luncheon tickets are available through the General Assembly Meeting Service until June 14. To purchase advance tickets through the General Assembly Meeting Services office, these links will help you:
We will have tables reserved for those who want to be there for the program and not participate in the meal with a ticket for the MLP Celebration Dinner on July 3 and the MLP Educational Luncheon on July 6. We do not want the price of meal tickets to keep anyone away from our programs and events. All are welcome.
Please call 505.820.7082 or email me at michael@mlp.org with any questions.
Please forward this notice to friends, colleagues, your presbytery's Commissioners and Young Adult Advisory Delegates, presbytery and synod staff so they will know about these events, tickets and the June 14th deadline. Thank you.
We are asking you, as a leader in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), to take a bold step to reduce the stigma associated with HIV testing in the United States. We are asking you to be tested for HIV publically at the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Minneapolis in July 2010. We are not asking you to reveal your status, only to be open about your willingness to be tested, as an act of solidarity with those living with HIV, and as an encouragement to all people to know their HIV status.
It is estimated that over 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV,[1] and in Washington, D.C., prevalence rates have reached an alarming 3%.[2] The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that around 56,000 Americans are infected each year, and around 20% of those infected with HIV do not know their status.[3] Studies have shown that individuals who know their HIV+ status reduce their risk behaviors,[4] yet many people avoid getting tested either because they do not perceive themselves to be at risk or because of the stigma associated with testing.
As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise. An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.
LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened the fabric of our national life. From business leaders and professors to athletes and first responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success and prominence in every discipline. They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and our friends and neighbors. Across my Administration, openly LGBT employees are serving at every level. Thanks to those who came before us -- the brave men and women who marched, stood up to injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance -- we have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect union.
On Sunday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. It might be the most misunderstood day in the Christian communion. Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover. The earliest Christians adapted Jewish traditions, so Passover became Easter and The Feast of Weeks became Pentecost.
Pentecost marks the coming of the Holy Spirit to Jesus' disciples after his death and resurrection as recorded in Acts 2: 2 - 4. Kathleen Norris says "the miracle of this event is that it drew people from all parts of the known world -- Egypt, Galilee, Cappadocia, Asia -- and while each person spoke in their native tongue, they understood each other."
The miracle is not in the speaking, it is in the understanding.
Peter preached his famous sermon using the prophet Joel to explain this unusual experience and Luke records that about 3.000 persons welcomed his message and were baptized. What followed? Acts 2:44 -45 tells us: "All who believed were together and had all things in common: they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need." These early Christians could well be considered the first socialists, but that's another conversation. The point is, they shared of their bounty with each other and all those in need.
They created community: "Day by day they were together in temple, or in homes breaking bread together with glad and generous hearts." (verse 46) They created good will among others and drew followers to their beloved community. (verse 47).
On the morning of Friday, May 7th, several residents from Glen Cove and the surrounding area met in the parking lot of Glen Cove’s First Presbyterian Church to carpool to the Port Jefferson Ferry Terminal. The ultimate goal was to arrive in Bridgeport, Connecticut by noon for a wedding honoring three couples from the church. Those gathered were friends, neighbors, family and church members joining Gaitley and Jim Stevenson-Mathews, Judith Gallagher and Patricia Meilinger, and Thomas Motz and Paul Haywood – the couples to be wed. Over 70 guests attended the celebration overlooking the Long Island Sound. “It was a perfect day filled with love and commitment and joy,” commented Glen Cove resident and church member Gail Allan.
While Gaitley and Jim have been together for eight years and had a religious marriage in May of 2005 and Judith and Patricia have been together for more than 22 years and had a civil union in July of the same year, their marriages were not considered legal under New York State law. Paul and Tom are planning a religious service for 2011, however, wanted to go ahead and be legal joined in marriage along with their friends in order to secure the protections afforded other married couples.
Over 70 attended a wedding in Connecticut celebrating the legal marriage of three couples from Long Island's First Presbyterian Church of Glen Cove. Eleven couples renewed their wedding vows as part of the celebration. The newlyweds (L-R): Judith Gallagher (seated) & Patricia Meilinger (standing), Jim Stevenson-Mathews (seated) & Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews (to his right), Paul Haywood (seated) & Thomas Motz (standing). Clergy, family and friends are gathered behind the couples.
One of the grooms, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews, explained that gay marriage is not currently legal in New York State. However, according to a 2008 ruling, legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions are entitled to recognition in New York. “Our choices were to travel to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, or Washington, D.C., and we all chose Bridgeport so that family and friends could more easily join us.”
San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today, May 17, is the International Day Against Homophobia. The International Day Against Homophobia is Inspired by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights that declares that all human beings are born free and equality in dignity and rights.
May 17 was chosen as the day of this event because homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17, 1990. This action was taken by the American Psychiatric Association in our country in 1973.
I am in Puerto Rico with a two-fold purpose: to address the rise of hate crimes against LGBT persons here with the National Religious Leadership Roundtable and to visit Presbyterian congregations. I worshipped yesterday at Tercera Presbyterian Church in Aguadilla. Rev. Jose Luis Torres Milan serves as pastor of this vibrant and growing congregation. It is absolutely clear that Rev. Torres Milan cares about all people and families within his congregation and community. No one is excluded, no one is left out of God's love and the care of this pastor for all of the people God entrusts into his care.
Not too long ago, the receptionist at our church called me late at night. There was someone in our foyer in hospital garb, slippers, and a catheter hanging from his arm. We came to find out that he had been in a local hospital for detoxification from alcohol and somewhere in the process simply disconnected himself from the IV and walked out, leaving everything behind. It was a cold night and he came directly to the church. He was pretty disoriented, but we got him some clothes from our clothing distribution room, food from our pantry, contacted the hospital, and got him help in removing the catheter from his arm. We kept him company, making little sense of his ramblings, but after a while, we convinced him to go to a local shelter and get some rest.
He is one of the hundreds we serve each month in our worship as outreach.
A few days later, I saw the gentleman at our weekly dinner program, where we serve almost 100 people a week who have either no food, no company, or no other place to go. I asked him how he was doing, and in conversation asked him what made him come to us when he left the hospital. Without missing a beat, his answer was: "It was where I knew I could find God." For him, on that night, God was a welcome, food, clothing, and help in finding a place to rest. His faith did, indeed, set him free.
It didn't matter that as the pastor of the church I am gay. In fact, being gay in the PC(USA) no longer matters any more than being straight does. People will argue about that, but we, as a church, have already deleted G-6.0106b. It's gone in our hearts and in practice. True, some still find comfort in the same kind of teachings that once held women and people of color to be second-class in God's eyes. However, the reality is that we already work together and serve God as a community of great diversity that includes gender identity fully.
WASHINGTON, April 27 — The Bishops and Elders Council of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force convened this week in Washington, D.C., to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Christian traditions. In response to a call to action from LGBT leaders in Uganda, they held a noontime vigil, Tuesday, April 27, at the National City Christian Church, to support Ugandan lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are facing increasing persecution.
Ugandan LGBT people have experienced threats and violence while their national Parliament considers a proposed “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” which would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment or even death. Political and religious leaders across the globe have condemned the proposed legislation but it remains under consideration.
Into this volatile situation, Lou Engle, a Kansas City evangelist is planning a stadium evangelism rally in Uganda. Engle has a track record of referring to gay people as having demons and preaching a message of God’s wrath.
Last week, leaders of Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) issued an action alert which asked leaders in the United States “to take action to ensure that Lou Engle and his associates do not set foot in Uganda….the inflammatory preaching of Lou Engle and his associates is likely to incite further violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in Uganda.”
On April 22 at 6:30 PM in Stowe, Vermont something wonderful happened that seemed like a dream come true for Vikki Dearing and Deb Bunting. They got married. For heterosexual couples this can be an ordinary, if not commonplace, even for some "taken for granted" experience. But, for those of us who fall in love with persons of the same gender, the hope or dream of getting married is a sacred opportunity not commonplace for us. Marriage is not yet available to millions of us in too many states and countries. We give thanks to God for the fair and justice-oriented citizens of Vermont who recognize that love is not limited by gender any more than it could be by race or other human differences.
Vikki Dearing serves as a Co-Moderator of More Light Presbyterians and has been working with MLP since the early 90's. Vikki and her longtime partner, now legal spouse, Deb Bunting, have been together for 28 years. They had a holy union 15 years ago on the same day, April 22, the date of their wedding. Vikki and Deb share a home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The wedding invitation spoken on April 22 was this: "Dearly beloved: we are gathered together by the grace of God and in the presence of friends to unite Deb and Vikki in the bonds of love and marriage; to surround them with our prayers and good wishes, and pray God’s blessings on them. The marriage of two persons in heart, body and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy, for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity, that their love and marriage may be a blessing to all whom they encounter. Marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately and aligned with the divine purpose for which it was instituted. Into this marriage Vikki and Deb now come to be joined."
More Photographs of Vikki Dearing & Deb Bunting's Wedding in Vermont
Michael J. Adee, Executive Director and Field Organizer, More Light Presbyterians officiated the wedding along with the Rev. Janet Edwards, Co-Moderator, More Light Presbyterians. "Love filled the room on April 22 at the Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, Vermont. God's Love, the love between Vikki and Deb, the love we felt for this beautiful couple and the outpouring of love from family and friends around the country was perfectly clear within the sacred moments of their wedding service. This wedding and marriage was a confirmation of what is, what has been for such a long time and what will continue: a covenant of love between two persons sustained by the grace of God and their faith. I am grateful to have had the privilege to officiate at this most joyous celebration of love and faithfulness," said Michael Adee.
Rev. Janet Edwards reflected: "Among the lasting memories for me of this delightful celebration of marriage between Vikki and Deb will be the love in their eyes as they looked at each other while saying their vows. The depth and strength of their 28 year commitment to one another was so obvious and inspiring. Where ever I went all weekend, I told the people I met that I was there for Vikki and Deb's wedding and I thanked them for conferring on my friends all the civil rights and privileges of marriage, at least in Vermont. It was one of the great privileges of my life to participate in it."
The prayer for Vikki and Deb at the end of their wedding service was this: Eternal God: without your grace, no promise is sure. Strengthen Vikki and Deb with the gift of your Spirit that they may fulfill the promises they have made today. Keep them faithful to each other and to you. Fill them with confidence in their love, their mutual commitment, and trust that brought them together, and give them your peace all the days of their lives. Amen.
Please join us in holding Vikki and Deb and all loving couples in your thoughts and prayers for such love is a gift, grace and blessing for every family, church and community.
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The deadline for purchasing tickets for MLP Events at the 219th General Assembly is June 14. 
As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise. An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.
On Sunday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. It might be the most misunderstood day in the Christian communion. Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover. The earliest Christians adapted Jewish traditions, so Passover became Easter and The Feast of Weeks became Pentecost. 
San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today, May 17, is the International Day Against Homophobia. The International Day Against Homophobia is Inspired by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights that declares that all human beings are born free and equality in dignity and rights. 
Not too long ago, the receptionist at our church called me late at night. There was someone in our foyer in hospital garb, slippers, and a catheter hanging from his arm. We came to find out that he had been in a local hospital for detoxification from alcohol and somewhere in the process simply disconnected himself from the IV and walked out, leaving everything behind. It was a cold night and he came directly to the church. He was pretty disoriented, but we got him some clothes from our clothing distribution room, food from our pantry, contacted the hospital, and got him help in removing the catheter from his arm. We kept him company, making little sense of his ramblings, but after a while, we convinced him to go to a local shelter and get some rest.
WASHINGTON, April 27 — The Bishops and Elders Council of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force convened this week in Washington, D.C., to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Christian traditions. In response to a call to action from LGBT leaders in Uganda, they held a noontime vigil, Tuesday, April 27, at the National City Christian Church, to support Ugandan lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are facing increasing persecution. 
On April 22 at 6:30 PM in Stowe, Vermont something wonderful happened that seemed like a dream come true for Vikki Dearing and Deb Bunting. They got married. For heterosexual couples this can be an ordinary, if not commonplace, even for some "taken for granted" experience. But, for those of us who fall in love with persons of the same gender, the hope or dream of getting married is a sacred opportunity not commonplace for us. Marriage is not yet available to millions of us in too many states and countries. We give thanks to God for the fair and justice-oriented citizens of Vermont who recognize that love is not limited by gender any more than it could be by race or other human differences.